by Sherri Renee
High School
Heartbreak
By Sherri Renee
High School Heartbreak
By Sherri Renee
Copyright © 2018 Sherri Renee. All right reserved.
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, locations and events in this book are either fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarities to real persons either living or deceased, locations or events is purely coincidental.
Books by Sherri Renee
Sweet teen/YA Romance
Forest Ridge High Series
High School Hero
High School Heartbreak
High School Drop Out
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 1
“I don’t understand,” I said through clenched teeth. I stood on my front porch in the freezing wind and gave Danny a fake smile while batting my lashes.
When he’d texted last night saying we needed to talk, I’d for some crazy reason convinced myself he was going to propose. I mean isn’t that what any girl would think when her boyfriend of thirty days said they needed to talk? I did an internal eye roll. Apparently, I’d been way off base.
I tipped my head to look up at him. Other than his nervous expression, he was still my Danny. He looked amazing as always with his short dark hair and those deep, dark eyes that I liked to get lost in when we talked about important stuff like our future hopes and dreams.
His jaw was smooth and his lips were soft and kissable, and I absolutely didn’t mind getting lost in them either—in between our deep talks—but I had a sinking feeling we wouldn’t be doing any kissing today.
I was trying to handle his announcement maturely, but it was getting harder by the second. I couldn’t believe he was even thinking about moving. Words started spewing out of my mouth. “But we had a great time at prom, right?” I said. “What about the five kids you said you wanted to have? How could you do this to us?” Okay, so my self-control was rapidly slipping.
Danny took a small step back as my voice grew louder and watched me cautiously like he thought I might go off on him at any second. Well, he should be worried. How could he just spring something like this on me, and just two days after we’d had the most amazing time at prom? Talk about being broadsided.
Narrowing my green eyes, I glared up at him, shoving my long dark hair behind my ears before crossing my arms over my chest, almost as if daring him to even mention moving again.
“My old coach said he’d let me join the team even though I missed tryouts.” Danny shrugged, trying to explain.
I stared at him blankly before I tilted my head with a confused frown on my lips. “But you’re playing here, for Forest Ridge.”
I saw him swallow. “Forest Ridge lost several key players thanks to all that steroid crap. Their team isn’t going to stand much of a chance of doing well this year.”
He’d said their team, not our team. My eyes darted to his, suddenly realizing this wasn’t a discussion. He’d already made up his mind.
A small part of my mind refused to believe what it was hearing. It was still half-way waiting for him to pull a ring out of his pocket and tell me the moving thing was a joke to throw me off so his proposal would be a huge surprise. Yeah, that part of my mind was clearly delusional.
He let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m a senior this year. It’s my last chance to make an impression on the college scouts. George wasn’t the only one depending on a scholarship to help pay for college. I’m going back to Wylie.”
The last words shot out so fast I wanted to pretend I didn’t hear them correctly, but I knew I did.
“Wiley has some awesome guys on the team this year.” An eager smile touched his lips, and excitement coated each word. “Since I played with most of them last year, Coach already knows we work well together.”
My head swam. I started to feel dizzy as I watched not only my engagement ring but my entire future evaporate before my eyes. I forced a tiny smile. “Wiley’s over two hours from here,” I said unnecessarily since he’d been the one to offer me that fact originally.
He finally stepped close and put his hands on my arms. The warmth from his skin sank through my sweater and made me long for him to wrap his arms around me and melt the ice that was growing around my heart, but he didn’t.
“I like you, Michelle. I think, if you’re willing, we can make this work.” He nodded as if he’d been giving the idea a lot of thought. “We only have half a year of high school left. I’ll make the drive down here just as often as I can, and maybe you can come visit me too.”
He kept talking, but he’d lost me at his second word. He liked me? A sharp, stabbing pain arrowed straight at my heart. I tried to force myself to listen to him, but my heart was shattering so loudly it was hard to hear over the noise. “You like me?” I interrupted whatever he was saying.
His excited expression turned puzzled. “Yeah, you know I really like you.”
I drew in my lips and slowly nodded. “Oh, so now you really like me. That’s so sweet.” There was a saccharine-sweet edge to my voice as my fear and worry from the moment he’d said we needed to talk bubbled up and combined with fresh anger and disappointment, creating a dangerous brew.
His dark brown eyes were puzzled, and his brows pulled close together as he tried to figure out what I was getting at. He looked completely stumped so I decided to help him out. “I love you, you idiot.”
I pressed my finger against his chest and glared up at him. “I thought we had something special.” I choked on the last word. “I thought you loved me too.”
He dropped his hands from my arms so fast the cold quickly iced my skin, erasing his touch as if it had never been there. As if he was already fading from my life.
Oh, wow. Was that what was going to happen to us? Would our special, perfect, enviable relationship slowly fade away as if it had never been? The thought made me physically ill.
Taking a step back, he held up a hand, looking more confused than ever. “Now, Michelle, we never talked about anything like that.” He looked a little scared now.
I could only stare at him. I couldn’t even blink. His eyes were wide and panicked, mimicking an untamed horse and his lips were slightly parted as if maybe he’d planned to say something else but had lost the ability to form words.
I bunched my lips to the side. It was possible my confession had not only scared him but had also given him a temporary case of brain damage. Definitely not the reaction I’d expected to receive the first time I told a guy I loved him. I huffed out a s
hort breath and clenched my teeth.
“I’m trying to make this work. I don’t know what else you want from me.” He looked away and shoved his hands deep in his pockets.
The anger drained from my body as it hit me that I’d pegged all my feelings on Danny and wrongly assumed he felt the same. Running a quick replay of our entire thirty-day relationship, I clearly saw he’d never done anything to lead me on. My disappointment was my own doing, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
I couldn’t meet his eyes and focused just over his shoulder on the empty street behind him instead. “When are you leaving?” The words burned my throat, but I needed to know.
He glanced toward his shiny beige car parked in the driveway. I followed his look. Even from here I could see boxes stacked in the front seat and clothes hanging in the back. My stomach dropped so hard I felt like I was on a ride at the fair only I wasn’t moving.
“You’re leaving right now?” I said, hearing and hating the desperation in my voice but unable to hide it.
He nodded. “Practice starts today.” He reached for my hand, but I whisked it behind my back and clamped it into a tight fist so he couldn’t take it.
His hand fell back to his side. “Michelle, I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t know that was how you felt. I mean you never said it.”
A wave of sadness and disbelief washed over me. I was blinking back tears by now and could only shake my head. Would it have made a difference if I’d told him I loved him sooner? Would that one word have made him decide to choose me over basketball? Was this somehow my fault?
He ran a hand through his short hair and glanced at his car. I could tell he was eager to get on the road. “Look, I know this is all really sudden. It is for me too. I wasn’t even thinking about playing for my old school until I ran into Coach yesterday. It’s a really good opportunity for me. I don’t want to mess it up.”
Looking down, he said, “Why don’t you take some time to think things over, and I’ll call you tonight okay?”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead and left. Just like that.
Chapter 2
I stood out in the cold with my arms wrapped around my chest and stared after his car. I knew I should be freezing, but I didn’t feel the biting wind. I couldn’t feel anything except for the ache coming from the giant hole where my heart should have been.
Heavy gray clouds hung low in the sky, and a gust of wind whipped bare tree branches together with a hollow clatter, painfully reminiscent of my life. I couldn’t believe Danny was gone. He’d crushed me on so many levels.
Here I was planning our future together while he was only focused on his. I rubbed a hand across my face and, noticing how icy my skin was, made myself go back inside.
I stood by the front door for a long time, so deep in thought, I didn’t even move. I tried not to hate him for choosing a sport over me, but I couldn’t understand what had happened to our dreams of a future together. Our big family with at least five kids.
I sucked in a breath as the answer hit me. He hadn’t necessarily meant he wanted that big family with me. That thought twisted painfully inside me.
I knew a month wasn’t long enough to even really get to know someone usually, but my heart had been sure we were the exception. We had an instant connection—well, once I’d forced him to talk to me. He’d been so nervous at first but had quickly come around, showing me his true self. I’d fallen deeper for him each minute we were together. Had that really all been one-sided? I didn’t think it was.
I blinked and looked around, realizing I still stood in the entryway. The house was so quiet it was stifling. Mom wouldn’t be home from work for hours, and I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts. They were too fresh and too raw and too humiliating.
I wasn’t a crazy-stalker girlfriend. I really wasn’t, regardless of how I’d just acted with Danny. But now Danny probably thought I was, and I couldn’t blame him. He’d just caught me so off guard I didn’t have time to prepare myself for his decision.
Needing to get out of the house, I grabbed my coat and purse and drove to Kristen’s house. Maybe she could help me understand how I’d been so wrong about Danny. How had I seen marriage where he’d only seen “like?”
I swung the car into Kristen’s driveway and jogged up the front steps to her porch, sucking in a deep breath of stinging cold air. I just had to hold myself together a little longer. In a few more minutes, I could pour everything out to a pair of sympathetic ears. Kristen would know what to say to make me feel better. As my best friend, she always did.
As I lifted my shaking hand to the doorbell, I heard Kristen's laughter coming from next door. I slowly turned my head towards Matt’s house and saw Kristen in the driveway playing basketball with a couple of guys.
Huh.
I stared at them blankly. I hadn’t even considered Kristen might not be home. I mean she was right there, but she looked like she was having so much fun I didn’t want to interrupt her. She deserved to have fun after everything she’d just gone through.
I saw her guarding Matt. He passed the ball to the other guy before grabbing her and swinging her over his shoulder. She let out a shriek of laughter, and a reflexive smile tipped my lips.
They were so good together. Just like I’d thought Danny and I were. A giant sigh seeped from somewhere deep within me, carrying with it just a touch of the bitter pain I struggled to hold inside.
Deciding it would be best to sneak away before she saw me, I turned and retraced my steps to my car. I stared down at the grass and tried to figure out where to go next. I could call Kara and see if she wanted to hang out, but I wouldn’t be able to talk to her. Not like I would with Kristen. Kara was great, I loved her, but she was known as the class gossip.
Maybe I’d text Jules and see what she was doing. I really needed to talk to someone. At the very least I didn’t want to be alone.
“Michelle!” Kristen yelled my name from across the yard, and I knew I’d been spotted. I cringed and hunched my shoulders as if that would make me invisible.
“Where are you going?” I heard her running towards me, her steps squishy on the dead grass that was still soggy from all the rain we’d had yesterday. I worked up a smile.
I turned around right as she got to me. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes sparkled with happiness. She gave me a quick hug then grabbed my hand and started dragging me towards Matt’s house.
Thankfully, she hadn’t looked at me too closely. If she had, she would have seen past my fake smile to the pain underneath, and I didn’t want to burden her with my problems. Not now when she was just finding her own happiness again after so many weeks of stress.
“I’m so glad to see you,” she said over her shoulder, smiling from ear to ear. “These guys are killing me over here, but we can take them. Come on!”
She caught me so off guard that I let her pull me across the yard. I wasn’t about to play a game of basketball but needed to think of an excuse that wouldn’t lead to questions.
“Look who I’ve got,” Kristen crowed towards the guys. “Reinforcements. Now let’s see how hot you are.”
Matt wrapped his muscular arms around her from behind. He wore a snug long-sleeved black t-shirt that clung to his muscular arms and chest and his dark hair had recently been cut and was a little spiky on top. “You’re the one who’s hot,” he said, giving Kristen a squeeze.
He tore his eyes from Kristen long enough to wink at me. “Hey, Michelle.” His dimple flashed in his cheek when he smiled.
Kristen laughed and broke free of his arms to run across the driveway to the yard. Matt scooped her off her feet before she reached the grass. He swung her around, and she let out a laugh of sheer joy.
I stared at them wide-eyed. As happy as I was for Kristen, it didn’t keep her joy from reminding me of what I’d lost. Each laugh was like sandpaper scraping over an open wound. And boy, were they laughing a lot.
“Yeah,” a deep voice said beside me. “They’ve been li
ke this all morning.”
I looked over to see Jace Freeman had been the third player. He walked over to me and we stood side by side watching Matt and Kristen chase each other around the yard. Jace crossed his arms while a playfully annoyed expression rested on his face.
“Hey, Jace,” I said. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”
He shrugged, keeping his eyes on the lovebirds. “I homeschooled first semester, but I’ll be back after break.”
I was mildly intrigued by that statement and almost asked him to elaborate. I simply wasn’t in a frame of mind capable of carrying on a real conversation at the moment though. “That’s cool,” I said instead.
I couldn’t decide if I should leave or wait for Kristen to stop flirting with her new boyfriend. “Think they’ll be at this for a while?” I asked without looking away from the happy couple.
“Yep,” Jace answered so seriously it surprised a laugh out of me.
He grinned down at me, reminding me what a nice smile he had. His wavy brown hair fell across his forehead in the front and just touched his collar in the back. It didn’t look like he’d shaved today and a dark shadow spread across his jaw.
He was really cute in a scruffy way. I didn’t remember him looking like that last year. I remembered him being thinner. And somehow, I don’t know, just different. I guessed he’d had a growth spurt over the summer.
His light brown eyes were friendly, but it was his smile that told you he was a good person. Someone you could trust. As soon as he aimed it at you, you knew you were in good hands. I’d forgotten that about him.
“Are you still writing?” he asked.
I furrowed my brow, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
“Mrs. Harrison’s English class last year,” he said, jogging my memory.
“Creative Writing,” we said together. I let out a small laugh.
“No, not really. I jot stuff down in my journal sometimes, but that’s about it. What about you?”
He didn’t answer. I glanced over and noticed his cheeks were red. He shrugged. “I do a little.”